Game Of Thrones: S3 – New Stills and Only 53 More Days to Wait!

Let’s be honest here, you’re probably as sick of reading little tidbits about Season 3 of Game Of Thrones as I am about writing them. We both just want the show to come back on, for all of us to watch it, and depending on how many of the books you’ve read, bitch about the differences, lack of characters, inclusion of characters, the similarities, and everything else in between. It’s an agonizing wait that’s certainly not made any easier by these pitiful little teaser photos that HBO keeps putting out every few weeks, just looking to drag us back in bit by bit until we can’t take it anymore. I suppose in that regard it’s a good strategy, since if I was catching up on the show and knew it was coming back on TV soon, I’d be ordering my HBO subscription right this minute.

It stands to reason if you’re reading this you’ve got some cursory knowledge or interest in the show, and thusly are prepared in some fashion for the idea that there are spoilers, and while these photos aren’t necessarily spoilers per se, some people are extra super sensitive about that sort of thing and just can’t take knowing ANYTHING about the show coming up at all. That being said, the photos are of particular interest to those who’ve read the books, as some characters are showing up that I certainly would have thought were being cut. The Reeds for instance are particularly surprising, since Osha seems to be so far fulfilling their role in the series, but either way Bran getting the info on his green dreams is something I’ve long looked forward to see in the series.

Then of course there’s the entire character progression of Lord Beric Dondarrion, along with Thoros of Myr, who book readers will know play a small but incredibly significant role in the evolution of… let’s say the nature of the world in Game Of Thrones. I don’t want to spoil anything, but lets just say that the world changes pretty dramatically from Book 1 to Book 5, and I don’t just mean Whitewalkers and dragons. But I digress. Fans here should be excited to find out who these characters are, or look forward to seeing them be portrayed excellently, (or poorly, depending if you have bad opinions or not) by the good folks working for HBO. All I can say is, PUT THE DAMN SHOW ON TV ALREADY YOU’RE KILLING ME.

Below is a slideshow with 22 photos from the new season, enjoy.

Marvel Preview: All-New X-Men #8

Probably one of the biggest changes to come about from Marvel NOW! has to be the return of the Original X-Men to the mainstream Marvel U. This of course comes with the new driving force behind the X-Men, Brian Micheal Bendis, who isn’t afraid to shake things up a bit. He’s actually kind of well known for it.

He revolutionized the classic tale of Peter Parker with Ultimate Spider-Man, then created a franchise out of the Avengers, elevating them to a new height never before experienced. And for the last few months he has been doing the same with the X-Men, whether it’s with the return of the Original X-Men (Jean Grey is back, y’all!) or the new look for Beast (his 4th, to be exact).

Continue reading Marvel Preview: All-New X-Men #8

Trailer Roundup: K-11, RED 2, and Olympus Falling…

This is Grizzly Bomb’s Trailer Round for February the 5th in the year of 2013…

[tabgroup][tab title=”Olympus Has Fallen”]

The first thing that comes to mind is, “Merica!”  Though heavily reliant upon CGI, this trailer is intense nonetheless.  Where else would you be able to receive visuals of this nature?  It takes us way back to the year nineteen hundred and ninety-six when we saw the Whitehouse blown to pieces by a city sized space ship in Independence Day.  It’s truly a disastrous sight that we would never wish to see in real life, but in a film, it should make one phenomenal story.

Gerard Butler is forced to come out from behind the desk to save the president of the United States Aaron Eckhart.  Hostage take overs have been done eight ways from Sunday, but this still looks entertaining and worth checking out.  There is something to be said about making a generic story seem appealing.

Director:  Antoine Fugua
Stars:  Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Dylan McDermott, Radha Mitchell, Ashley Judd, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Jaye Williams, and Melissa Leo.
Release Date:  March 22, 2013

[/tab][tab title=”Upside Down”]

Well if it isn’t the most blatant commentary on social status possible?  At least they mix in some amazing green screening to keep the story fresh.Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl are destined to remain apart due to class restrictions.  That would about sum it up, but if you use Kirsten Dunst and Jim Sturgess, you’ve got yourself a movie.

Director:  Juan Solanas
Stars:  Kirsten Dunst, Jim Sturgess, Timothy Spall, Agnieshka Wnorowska, Neil Napier, Jayne Heitmeyer, James Kidnie, and Frank M. Ahearn.
Release Date:  March 15, 2013

[/tab][tab title=”K-11″]

The first thought that came to mind when watching this trailer was, “Is this a real thing?”  I suppose it makes sense.  If I might have thought transgendered individuals had it difficult as it was, I didn’t even think about what jail would be like.

So thank you Jules Stewart for giving us a look.  Yes, I am talking about Kristen Stewart’s mother.  Personally, the only redeeming quality I have seen so far is that Jason Mewes is on the cast list.

Director:  Jules Stewart
Stars: Goran Visnjic, Kate del Castillo, D.B. Sweeney, Portia Doubleday, Jason Mewes, Sonya Eddy, Luis Moncada, and Tommy Lister.
Release Date: November 26, 2012 Italy

[/tab][tab title=”Citadel”]

As described this film is, “An agoraphobic father teams up with a renegade priest to save his daughter from the clutches of a gang of twisted feral children who committed an act of violence against his family years earlier.”The entire trailer, I couldn’t decide what was real and what was inside his head.  It almost appeared to be a paternal postpartum depression.  Is that even a thing?  I guess you have to check it out to find out.

Director:  Ciaran Foy
Stars:  Aneurin Barnard, James Cosmo, Wunmi Mosaku, Jake Wilson, and Amy Shiels.
Release Date:  March 1, 2013

[/tab][tab title=”Red 2″]

So what would be more interesting than following the lives of assassins?  How about when they are aged and retired?

In this second installment, we continue to follow Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) who is clearly trying to enjoy retirement.  That doesn’t work out too well when he suddenly becomes everyone’s top target.

Director:  Dean Parisot
Stars:  Bruce Willis, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, David Thewlis, and Byung-hun Lee.
Release Date:  August 2, 2013

[/tab][/tabgroup]

Rumor Report! What’s in Store for the Hulk in Marvel’s Phase 3?

A lot of components came together and brought their best to the table when last summers explosive hit The Avengers finally arrived in theaters. There were some great moments from the team and the rest of the cast, but one that stood out was the new approach to the Hulk, who had already gone through two somewhat disappointing films to get to the Avengers.

We are now entering Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which brings us sequels to all the main players and the team with no mention of the Hulk. Even the new possible franchise Guardians of the Galaxy gets to be a part of Phase 2, presumably leaving the green guy in the dust until Avengers 2. Mark Ruffalo is signed on to 6 films, so it’s obvious we would expect some features centered on Hulk to come sooner rather than later. Well, that seems to be the case according to the latest scoop from Latino-Review’s El Mayimbe. Be warned, there are some serious potential SPOILERS below, so if you’re going to whine about it later, STOP READING. And definitely don’t watch this video from EM explaining everything.

Continue reading Rumor Report! What’s in Store for the Hulk in Marvel’s Phase 3?

Night Cheese and Ham: Celebrating ’30 Rock’ and Seven Years of Fantastic TV

As 30 Rock wraps up its 7 year run, it is very easy to mourn its loss. Instead, like any other good funeral, we should be celebrating the life of one of TV’s most recent great sitcoms. It is a show that has worked its way into many fan’s everyday lexicon and is full of one-liners that should stand the test of time.

It may not have been a ratings darling, but the fans of 30 Rock are a fiercely loyal group. For seven years we’ve followed the friendship of Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy. We’ve watched in wonder as Tracy Jordan and Jenna Maroney somehow found a way to top themselves. We’ve questioned what the hell was wrong with Kenneth. From the first season we’ve wondered if Liz Lemon was ever going to be able to save herself from herself and find the happiness she so desperately sought.

Like Liz Lemon, you will most often find us eating cheese at night and requesting that someone bring us some ham.

Haaaaammmm

Night cheese and ham. That right there is the secret to 30 Rock’s greatness. Why? Because it is unassuming, it’s ridiculous, and most of all, it’s smart. A show that you have to really watch to catch all the fast dialogue, and pay attention to get all the jokes. It’s a refreshing change.

Sadly, we live in the age of predominantly stupid television. There are obviously bright spots, but those are most often found in the drama category. Sitcoms are seen as a 30 minute package for the same old jokes week in and week out. You don’t really need to have a vested interest in a sitcom anymore. You can watch one episode every few weeks and not feel like you’ve missed anything because every episode they will tell you exactly why each joke is funny. Every week of Big Bang Theory sets up the guys as nerds, and every single joke stems from that simple concept. 30 Rock’s jokes were often like a long con. You look back and realize that they’ve been setting it up for seven years only to have the final payoff in the last scene of the show. There were always allusions to the idea of Kenneth living forever, but at the time it just seemed like weird Kenneth being weird Kenneth. Turns out, he does live forever!

Kenneth head of NBC

This is what set 30 Rock apart. It rewarded viewers for watching. It’s like we were let in on the inside jokes. Yes, there were obvious recurring themes like Liz’s love of bad food, and Jenna’s obsession with herself, but those were not the focus of the entire show. In the finale, there were plenty of throwbacks to old jokes and while watching it I felt like I was just playing a game of “hey, remember when?” with an old friend.

In every game of “hey remember when?”, there’s that moment where you get a little catch in your throat and realize that even though there are jokes and humor, at the same time there’s been a tenderness. EvenSally The Dick Van Dyke Show though 30 Rock never played up the drama side there was still a humanness to it that caused you to nod your head and realize, “yeah, I know exactly what that feels like.” That is what sets a great sitcom apart from a run of the mill sitcom.

Perhaps my favorite episode of a sitcom ever is “Where You Been, Fassbinder?” in season one of The Dick Van Dyke Show. It’s Sally’s birthday and through one funny misstep after another, she finds herself alone. Even her cat has ditched her! Of course it all works out and ends up being quite humorous in the process. I first watched that episode probably more than twenty years ago. It still makes me laugh and cry to this day. Twenty years from now I’ll probably think of Liz Lemon standing in the airport waiting for her newly adopted twins and have that same feeling. There aren’t that many shows that have that kind of impact, I can assure you people won’t remember much of Two and a Half Men beyond the basic premise decades from now.

Liz and Criss in airport

While I don’t think it was Tina Fey’s responsibility by any means, it’s undeniable that she has changed the face of women in comedic television. Everyone knows about Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Betty White, Mary Tyler Moore, and countless other funny women through history. Problem is, even though many of those women were also fantastic business and creative minds, they were mainly known for their performances on screen. Tina Fey turned the tide on that thinking. There are just as many people who see her as a funny writer, not just that funny chick who was Sarah Palin on SNL. Whether it was her intention or not, she has paved the way for an entire new generation of women created television.

So is 30 Rock a candidate for our Gone Too Soon category? No. It was time. The fact it had seven years really is amazing. The ratings were never very good, and they were dwindling as the years went on. However, for me and the ten other people who tuned in each Thursday, it will be missed.


Images: NBC